The Chocolate, Cheese and Coffee Lover’s Guide to Zurich

You don’t have to be crazy about all three things in the title to read this post. There’s something for everyone here but I’m not going to lie, the majority of this list does feature them all pretty highly. Because when you’re in Switzerland it’s only fair and right that you eat a tonne of Swiss chocolate. And cheese. Because chocolate and cheese are two of the best things in life, and coffee is just a given, so of course there were going to be a fabulous range of places to sample them.

The fact that so many chocolate treats are called “Schoggi” which is a ‘cute Swiss word for chocolate’ (I googled it and that is literally the meaning!) just made it all so much more tempting and had me wanting to eat it all.

Most of these places are ideal for children too as Zurich seems to be an extremely child friendly city, but whether you have kids with you or not they are all still some of the best places to eat and drink in Zurich.

Sprungli

This is THE place to get your chocolate fix as the shop is hugely popular for its divine chocolate truffles as well as their famous Luxemburgerli macarons. As we were in Zurich over the Easter weekend, it meant the shop was either so crazy busy that you could hardly move inside or it was closed, so unfortunately we weren’t able to sit in the cafe upstairs and enjoy something sweet to eat. But in the chocolate shop downstairs they have a huge range of cakes, desserts, pastries, chocolates and macarons to take away so you can feast on Sprungli’s Swiss deliciousness while wandering around the city. They do serve savoury items too but why even kid yourself looking at those when you clearly know you’re going to end up with something a little naughtier.

Cafe Schober

Right in the centre of the Old Town this is the cutest of adorably cute chocolate shops with a cafe where you can sit down to enjoy one of their delicious hot chocolates with whipped cream and a slice of cake.

We actually came back here twice (don’t judge) because I wanted a treat to take home – as a gift for someone else of course. The chocolate truffles were really good, especially the Baileys and white chocolate truffles, and I knew I didn’t have a problem with my nut allergy here like I did in so many other chocolate shops in Switzerland. Over Easter colourful giant eggs and decorations hung from the ceiling making it all look so pretty.

Hiltl

Neither Myself, Evie nor my sister eat red meat so while the three of us were in town we had to pay a visit to Hiltl, the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world, and it was amazing! Whether you’re a meat eater or not, you cannot fail to be impressed and completely and utterly satisfied with the huge range of buffet food on offer.

Some of the items like tandoori style quorn chicken, tofu tikka masala and something that looked like sausages but was of course completely vegetarian, could easily fool any meat lover. It’s easy to see why this is one of Zurich’s best restaurants and I highly recommend a visit.

Vicafe Bellvue

If you’re a coffee lover/coffee addict/sleep deprived mama then this is the most perfectly tiny little take away coffee bar for your daily coffee fix. They do proper coffee here and I’m told by Mom in Zurich that more Vicafes seem to be popping up all over the city because they’re so popular.

Maison Blunt

Close by our accommodation at 25hours Hotel Langstrasse, I adored everything about Maison Blunt. A Moroccan style cafe, the decor is just to die for with tiled mosaic floors and colourful walls, with large round tables for big groups of people to sit at and enjoy the giant meze platters. They also have the most vintage of highchairs I have ever seen! The decor isn’t the only great thing about this place though as the food is pretty awesome too. I wanted to try everything on the menu but finally decided on a falafel and halloumi burger with the most deliciously refreshing glass of mango lassi making me feel like I’d been transported straight back to India and Morocco all at once.

Kafi fur Dich

A cosy cafe with a children’s play area and a large chalk board tucked away at the back for the kids to go wild on. Which would have been wonderful had Evie not been asleep the whole time we were here!

Making the most of the rare chance to enjoy a peaceful coffee and cake, the New York cheesecake was simply heaven, best enjoyed with a double shot espresso latte because sometimes a mama just needs one (or two in this case).

Swiss Chuchi

As famous as chocolate is in Switzerland, cheese is just as much a beloved delicacy and you cannot possibly leave the country without trying a cheese fondue at least once. But preferably more than once. Swiss Chuchi is a highly popular place for cheese fondue in Zurich and it just happened to be part of Hotel Adler which is where we were staying in the Old Town.

So we decided to dedicate our last evening to the delicious art of fondue – firstly, with a traditional cheese fondue made from four cheeses, white wine, cherry liquor and garlic with a basket of fresh bread for dipping. For dessert we had a dark chocolate fondue with lots of fruit for dipping. I cannot even describe how good this entire meal was but if I visit Zurich again one day I will be eating here every night!

Do you have any other great restaurants or cafes in Zurich to add to my list? Let me know in the comments below or at:

Several of the restaurants mentioned in this post hosted us for dinner and treats. However, this makes no difference to my list of recommendations and I would only ever direct you to somewhere that I truly throught was utterly delicious!

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I'm Ayla, a London based jet setter and travel fanatic, showing the world to my little adventurer, Evie, proving that travel with a baby/toddler is possible and the biggest and best adventure I've ever had. So come follow us far away and I hope our family adventures will inspire you to have some of your own.